#weaslow

When Sebastian began teaching at Hogwarts, he had gone directly to Professor Weasley to plead his case for making the unsanctioned dueling club from his years into something organized and official. Between dealing with Anne’s curse, and the year that Ranrok’s loyalists got much too close to the castle, Sebastian argued that students needed to be prepared for fights against adults. Professor Weasley had been hesitant, saying she wanted to see a trial run first. Sebastian expected this, and he had the perfect ace up his sleeve: Ominis. When he announced the first meeting, a large number of students attended. Some wanted to actually learn, and some wanted to see their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in action. So, when he introduced Ominis, a blind wizard, most of the students were skeptical.  

Surely this is a joke, right?  

That’s not a fair fight!  

However, they were quickly proven wrong. They saw firsthand how Ominis anticipated spells in ways most would never imagine. Their disbelief deepened when Sebastian lost to Ominis, and did so gracefully. Afterwards, a student had jokingly accused Ominis of cheating. Ominis couldn’t help the small, amused smile that appeared.  

“Believe it or not, your Professor is not immune to being bested—even by a cripple,” Ominis deadpanned. Sebastian snorted at the harsh choice of words. “If you focus, and listen closely, you can anticipate when someone is about to cast a spell. Magic makes noise. It’s quiet, but once you know what to listen for, it’s unmistakable.” 

It was moments like this that made Sebastian proud to be Ominis’ friend. He had been hoping Ominis would beat him. It tied in perfectly with his first lesson: never underestimate your opponent. If only he had remembered that advice when he deliberately sauntered into Garreth’s classroom during one of his free periods. It had taken almost a month to get everything sorted for the first club meeting of the year, so Sebastian was anxious to start things off strong. And what better way to do that than putting none other than Garreth Weasley in his place. 

As he entered the classroom, Sebastian noticed that the chalkboard had the information for brewing a shrinking solution, and the class was full of second years. Sebastian rolled his eyes. Of course Garreth was so confident in his skills as a professor that he felt he could teach something that advanced before they were ready. He reached the desk where Garreth was grading some essays and peered at him.  

“You know, Weasley, there’s an actual Dueling Club here now,” Sebastian smirked down at Garreth, relishing the way he rubbed a hand over his face and blinked expectantly in return.  

“Fascinating. Why do I care?” Garreth propped his chin on his hand, frowning at Sebastian.  

“‘Cause you could come do a demonstration during the next meeting,” Sebastian vaguely registered that a couple of the students closest to them looked over, interest piqued at the mention of two teachers dueling. “Unless, of course, you’re worried you’d lose in front of an audience.”  

Garreth sighed, a flicker of irritation settled in. He forced his face to remain neutral, not wanting to show just how easily he had been baited.  

“Against you? Unlikely.” Garreth clenched his jaw, his face conveying the disdain—and interest—behind his words. “You were only the best because you were fighting teenagers,” a wry smile teased at his mouth. “I’d wager you can barely hold your own, now.”  

Sebastian bristled, his fists clenched, but he quickly spread his fingers out and flexed his hands. “We’ll see about that,” his voice was slow, forcibly calm. “Meetings at four.” He strode out of the classroom, shoulders hunched as he ignored the whispers from some of the students.  

The rest of the afternoon went by too slowly, in Sebastian’s opinion. His class dragged on as he resisted checking his watch every few minutes. By the time four o’clock rolled around, he was a ball of anxious energy as he watched the attendees file into the Great Hall. He told himself he was just eager to put Garreth in his place. That he wanted to see the usual arrogant look on his face vanish when Sebastian beat him. 

When Garreth walked through the door, Sebastian bristled on instinct. He didn’t even have the decency to look worried, or focused. Garreth just strutted into the hall, not a care in the world. With his stupidly casual clothes. He walked up and stood next to Sebastian.  

“Why are you dressed like you work on a farm?” Sebastian sneered. Garreth glanced down at his clothes: an off white button down, with brown trousers and suspenders. He gave Sebastian a once over.  

“You’re wearing the same thing.” Garreth said flatly.  

Sebastian looked down at himself, as if he had forgotten what he wore that day (he did) and turned away with a scoff. He walked and stepped up onto the raised platform in the middle of the hall.  

“Good afternoon—settle down,” Sebastian's eyes skimmed across the students that had come. There were definitely more than usual. “I’m aware some of you are here to learn, while some of you are just hoping to see someone get knocked on their arse. If all goes well, we can manage both.” 

A couple students chuckled, most just listened with blank faces. Garreth snorted quietly as he crossed his arms and shifted his weight.  

“Dueling isn’t nearly as dramatic as you may think. Most of it is timing, and keeping a level head when someone’s aiming a spell at your face. So try to pay attention. It may prove useful.  

“We’ll start today with a demonstration,” Sebastian motioned for Garreth to come up on the platform. “For those of you that live under a rock, this is Professor Weasley, our new Potions professor. Let’s give him a proper Hogwarts welcome, shall we?” Sebastian ended his speech with a pointed, sarcastic look at Garreth.  

They each walked to opposite ends of the platform, turned to face each other, and raised their wands. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them dared look away.  

Garreth narrowed his eyes a fraction of an inch before Sebastian flung a “Depulso!” at him, only a split second after Garreth's shield went up.  

Quicker than Sebastian had anticipated, Garreth countered. 

“Levioso!”  

Sebastian barely dodged the flash of light. His eyes widened before he doubled down, reaffirming his stance.  

The space between them was heavy. A subtle smell of smoke from where the spell hit the wall behind Sebastian wafted through the space. The crowd around them blurred, the only sound Sebastian could hear was his own pulse.  

Garreth’s hand twitched with anticipation, and Sebastian took the chance to shoot a silent basic cast at him, which landed on Garreth’s shoulder.  

He stumbled back, straightened out, and fired one right back.  

From there, the duel turned into silent casts and wordless shields. The lights from the spells flew between them at breakneck speed. The hall was silent save for their shuffling and dodging.  

Sebastian narrowly avoided a spell launched at his head. A couple students gasped at the near miss. When he looked at Garreth, he was taken aback.  

He had never seen that look before: calculated, determined, and cocky. Like he knew exactly what he was doing. And that alone was irritating. It felt like Garreth was staring right through him—and it proved to be his downfall.  

Sebastian barely blinked when Garreth followed up the basic cast with a “Stupefy!” and Sebastian was thrown back several feet.  

The impact knocked the air from his lungs as he hit the ground with a dull thud. He blinked a couple times and scrambled to his feet, mind consumed with instant rage and a need to retaliate. Gasps and murmurs from the crowd rang in his ears.  

“Is he okay?”  

“Bloody hell…” 

Garreth let his guard down for an instant too long after Sebastian was thrown back, providing the perfect opportunity for a counterattack. The gap in Garreth’s focus was minute, but Sebastian picked up on it. His desperation to prove himself won out in the end. 

“Diffindo!” Sebastian aimed the spell directly at Garreth. 

As soon as Garreth heard the incantation he froze. Not expecting Sebastian to cast something that could cause actual damage. He felt a sharp whoosh of air right next to his head. The commentary from the onlookers stopped instantly, everyone appalled at the intensity of the spell. He turned his attention back to Sebastian, stunned, only to see Sebastian was still in the fighting stance. Wand raised and a borderline crazed look in his eye. One that said he knew what he had just done.  

Garreth didn’t react at all when Sebastian followed up with a well aimed “Expelliarmus!” He didn’t even flinch when his wand was ripped from his hand, clattering to the floor in the crowd next to him.  

Seconds dragged by as Garreth and Sebastian stared at each other. Intense and unyielding. It wasn’t until the students' shocked muttering became louder that they were reminded of where they were.  

A faint flush crept up Sebastian’s face when he realized what had happened, and how close he’d come to taking it too far.  He cleared his throat and straightened himself out as he stepped down from the platform and wove his way through the crowd to where Garreth’s wand had landed. Sebastian picked it up, and handed it back to him.  

“Professor,” Sebastian said, one brow raised as he held the wand out. Garreth eyed Sebastian suspiciously, tentatively taking his wand back. 

Sebastian let his gaze linger before he spoke to the students. 

“Okay,” he cleared his throat. “Now that you’ve seen how quickly a duel can escalate. Pair up and practice.” He nudged his way through the crowd and stood off to the side.

The students hesitated for a moment, thrown off by the sudden change in tone. Sebastian gestured to them to move along, and eventually they did. Some scattered around the room, others on the platform. Garreth stepped down from the stage, he couldn’t seem to shake what just happened from his mind. However, Sebastian seemed determined to not make eye contact. Garreth stood as his mood morphed from apprehensive to annoyed, then headed towards the door. 

He didn’t notice Sebastian’s eyes glued to his back as he left.

~

The gnawing sense of unease did not wane as Garreth walked back to his room. He might have accidentally pushed a few students on his way up, he didn’t notice. All he could see was that look on Sebastian’s face. An intense, crippling need to win. By the time he closed the door to his room in the faculty tower, he was fuming. How could Sebastian be so reckless? Sending a spell like that in front of all those kids? What if his aim had been off and he hit one of them? 

Garreth sat down at the desk in his room and stared unfocused at the wall. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that Sebastian would be okay with someone getting hurt just to maintain his image. If you could even call it that. Garreth's own words echoed in his mind: “I see you’re still lying to yourself.” He dug the heel of his hands against his eyes, as if he could stamp out the agitation that coursed through him. 

A long-forgotten pit of discontent that reminded him of the last time he had been at Hogwarts twisted in his gut. It had been ages since he’d felt like this. Like he needed to break something. All the anxious, restless energy from the encounter in the Great Hall was eating away at him. He needed an outlet. So he got up, wrote a quick letter, and sent it off. It was the middle of the day, on a weekend. They’d be home. Sure enough, about five minutes later, the owl came back with a simple reply. 

Come over. 

The walk down to the apparition border outside the castle felt quicker than usual. A moment later he was standing just outside Leander's house.  

Leander lived on a farm with his wife, Cora, a Muggle. She had a sharp mind and a sharper tongue. Perfect for someone like Leander, who had a tendency to be full of hot air. Garreth began to walk up to the door just as Leander was coming out. He was smiling, but it fell once he saw Garreth. 

“Oh boy. What’s got your trousers in a twist?” he asked, meeting Garreth in the front yard.  

“Sallow.” Garreth muttered. He crossed his arms and stared at the large patch of land behind the house.  

“Got it. Come on, then,” Leander said as he turned around and led them toward the back of the house. Leander walked over to a shed, opened the door to reveal a gun rack.  

One upside to being married to a Muggle was that they introduce you to Muggle hobbies. Like shooting guns. Garreth had come over for Christmas one year when Cora’s father and brother brought some rifles and showed Leander's family, including Garreth, how to shoot. Now, years later, it was a go-to whenever one of them was feeling particularly stressed out. It provided the same relief as blowing something up or smashing a window in. Leander handed Garreth a rifle, and Garreth rolled his sleeves up before taking the weapon.

Leander walked over to the fence that had some bottles lined up on the posts while Garreth loaded the weapon and snapped it closed with one hand in a fluid motion. He adjusted his stance, bracing the rifle against his shoulder. There was something steady in the way he held it, controlled, precise, like all that restless energy had finally found somewhere to go. He waited for Leander to take a seat on the stump near the fence before he took a deep breath, focusing on his target. The muscles in his forearms flexed and tensed as he braced himself against the recoil and fired. Each time he reloaded the chamber, it was practiced, it was clear that he had done this many times before. Five rounds later, Leander went to place more bottles on the posts. 

After the bottles had been replaced twice, Garreth let the gun hang at his side. He faced Leander, who had been silently watching the whole time. 

“How is it that after ten years, someone can be both just as immature and infuriating as they were at seventeen?” Garreth walked over and sat on the other stump next to Leander. The rifle rested against the ground while Garreth idly picked at the butt of the gun. 

“I don’t know, mate,” Leander shrugged. “I think a more important question is whether you’re going to be able to work with him?”  

Garreth sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he scowled at the wind chime hanging on the back porch of the house. “That depends. Do you think he can stop acting like a child?”  

Leander shot him a pointed look, eyebrows raised, a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth.  

“I’m not going to try to start anything!” Garreth huffed. “I don’t care enough to instigate anything with him.” 

“Hm,” Leander bit back a smirk. “Okay. Sounds like a solid plan,” he said dryly.  

“Shut up,” Garreth rolled his eyes. Just then, a flash of Sebastian’s teasing voice echoed through his mind, causing a pang of annoyance. Then his dumb, smug face followed. Then a sharper twist of irritation. Garreth felt his pulse quicken. He stood up and strode over to where he was standing before and bent down to grab some more ammo.  

“Let’s go again,” Garreth said as he loaded another round and cocked the gun.  

Two more rows of bottles were replaced before Garreth had finally calmed down. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Leander, chatting about anything that came to mind. Garreth had always liked visiting the farm. The distant clucking of chickens and the warm sun were peaceful in a way that he didn’t often find elsewhere.  

When Garreth eventually left to go back to Hogwarts, he was feeling much better. As he walked through the castle and to his room, he hoped that maybe he could avoid Sebastian. The last thing he wanted was to ruin his improved mood. Luck seemed to be on his side: Garreth did not see him until the next evening, at the Sorting Hat Ceremony.  

Garreth sat in between Professor Garlick and the charms teacher, Professor Smith, at one end of the table. It was still weird to be Professor Garlick's colleague instead of her student.  

“Please,” she said to him yesterday before the meeting. “Just call me Mirabel.” Garreth had nodded in agreement, but knew it would probably be a while before he felt comfortable enough to do that.  

Now, at the ceremony, as she told him about her venomous tentacula—affectionately named Snap—he vaguely wondered how long it would take to get used to it. They were silenced when the doors opened, and a swarm of nervous-looking eleven-year-olds started filing in. Garreth blinked as disbelief flashed across his face. They were so small. There was no way he looked that young when he started Hogwarts.  

“They’re so tiny, aren’t they?” Mirabel whispered to him when she noticed the shock on his face. He nodded at her, wide-eyed, and turned his attention back to the new students. They gathered at the base of the raised platform, and stared at the wrinkly hat on the stool warily.  

Professor Weasley walked up, plucked the hat from the stool with one hand, a long piece of parchment in the other, and called the first name.  

“Charlie Talpin.”  

A tiny, mousey boy with brown hair wove his way up to the stool. Everyone in the hall was silent as the hat was placed on his head, eager to see which house would get the first student. Barely two minutes went by before the hat opened its mouth and yelled.  

“Slytherin!”  

The table on the far right of the hall erupted in applause. Cheering and welcoming the new house member. Garreth glanced down the length of the table and saw Sebastian, a wide, closed smile across his face as he clapped. Garreth turned away with a scoff, lips curled slightly in disgust. Of course his house gets the first student. Just another thing to feed his ego. 

Garreth went back to watching the students be called up one by one. Each time the appropriate house table cheered and welcomed their new students, and whenever Slytherin got a new student, Garreth’s focus lingered on Sebastian—longer than necessary. He acted so proud, as if it actually mattered. 

By the end of the ceremony, Garreth had become so fixated on shooting contemptuous looks at Sebastian that he barely noticed when Gryffindor got a new student. He was eventually pulled from his scornful reverie when food appeared on the table in front of them. He had completely missed his aunt's welcome speech. 

He tried to focus on his dinner. He tried to listen to what Professor Garlick was saying, but his eyes kept wandering down the length of the table. Always landing on Sebastian, that faint, self-satisfied smile still lingering on his face. 

“Hello? You in there?” Professor Garlick teased, gently poking his arm with her fork. 

“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding,” Sebastian groaned as his eyes were immediately drawn to an annoyingly familiar mop of red hair. 

Garreth looked over when he heard Sebastian, the optimism on his face dropping. He gaped for a second, then frowned.

They stared at each other. Unwavering, upset. 

Of course. 

Sebastian stomped forward and flopped down into a seat on the opposite end of the long table. His eyes flickered back to Garreth, then down to his hands as he picked at his nails. He barely looked up as the headmistress walked up to the end of the table.

“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to another year, I hope that this one will be just as fruitful as the last,” Mathilda Weasley addressed the room, eyes scanning across everyone seated. Maybe lingering just a fraction of a second on her nephew. 

Professor Black had retired a few years ago, and Professor Weasley had taken his place. She had already been acting as Headmistress before he left, so her progression into the role was natural. She was firm, but fair, and very good at keeping a close eye on any potential problems. 

“We’ll start with an introduction. Professor Sharp will not be returning this year. He says his injuries have finally caught up with him. Taking his spot is Professor Garreth Weasley,” she beamed as she said his name. She had been thrilled to learn that her nephew was interested in teaching. She always knew he was smart, and fully capable. “I’m sure we all will be happy to make sure his first year goes well.” 

Some of the other professors smiled and greeted him, but Sebastian just sat in his seat. Arms crossed, brows furrowed, his gaze never leaving Garreth. The quiet scoff that left him was involuntary. Mostly. Garreth glanced over, sighed disdainfully and turned back to Professor Weasley, who was talking about the year's Hogsmeade trips. 

The meeting did not run very long. Once dismissed, most of the staff went to their quarters to finish settling in for the year. Sebastian walked over to Garreth. 

“Are you that incompetent that you had to resort to nepotism?” Sebastian smirked. 

Garreth tensed up a little too quickly for someone he hadn’t seen in years. Annoyed that even after all this time, the sound of Sebastian’s voice alone was enough to put him on edge. “Believe it or not, some of us don’t actually need bribery to get a job,” he stood up from his spot, his eyes meeting Sebastian's. “Obviously, you’re not familiar with the concept of earning something.” 

Sebastian glowered. He had almost forgotten just how insufferable Garreth was. “I’ve earned everything I have.” 

“I see you’re still lying to yourself. Wheedling doesn’t count as earning,” Garreth roughly pushed past Sebastian. “I’m leaving. This conversation is boring.” Sebastian sneered, jaw clenched as he was shoved aside. Garreth disregarded the holes Sebastian was burning into his back as he left the room without another word. 

One of the other teachers who was lingering walked up to Sebastian. He flinched when he heard her speak, not realizing there were other people still in the room. 

“What was that all about?” She asked. The Arithmancy professor, Rosie Shore, was probably the only other teacher he was actually friends with. 

“Nothing. Just some asshole,” he grumbled as he stalked off. Rosie raised an eyebrow at his retreating form, curious to see if she could get a real answer at some point. 

Sebastian spent the rest of his morning angrily unpacking, as if taking it out on his clothes would accomplish anything. He couldn’t believe he was going to have to suffer the existence of Garreth Weasley. That overconfident toenail. Sebastian thought he was done when they graduated. Thought he would never have the misfortune of laying eyes on him again. Of course he wouldn’t be that lucky. 

Once lunch time rolled around, he was still grumbling to himself. He found himself reliving all the frustrating, annoying memories of his years at Hogwarts as a student, having to deal with him. Sebastian barged down the stairs of the faculty tower where Ominis was waiting patiently for him at the entrance. 

“Hi, Sebastian,” Ominis greeted him, his wand leading him into the tower. He turned to face Sebastian, waiting for him to go ahead. 

“Hi.” Sebastian mumbled as he silently led them back upstairs. 

“Are you grumpy today?” Ominis asked. 

“Yes. I am,” he replied. “But not at you," he tacked on hastily.

“Oh. Okay then. What’s wrong?” Ominis followed his lead into Sebastian’s room and sat down at his usual seat by the desk. 

“You won’t believe who they have taking Sharp's spot,” Sebastian sat down on the other side of the desk.

Ominis’ face lit up at the promise of some gossip. “Hmm, let me guess…” he looked up and to the side as he pretended to think. “They didn’t hire another centaur, did they? You would think they learned after the first catastrophe.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “No. Garreth Weasley.” 

“Oh, really?” Ominis was both intrigued and disappointed at the same time. Garreth Weasley working as a potions professor was hardly gossip. 

“Yeah. I bet he won’t even last the year. Poor Headmistress is going to regret that choice,” Sebastian said as he pulled out a thick lesson planner from his desk and opened it to a blank page. 

Ominis leaned back in his chair. “You think so? I would assume that even Garreth is capable of maturing over the span of ten years. I highly doubt Professor Weasley would hire him if he wasn’t qualified. Related or not.” 

“Ooh, or, he got in trouble and this is like his punishment or something,” Sebastian said, almost giddy at the prospect of Garreth getting in trouble. 

Ominis grimaced. “I can’t believe you’re still on this. It’s been years. Maybe you should give him a chance. I never minded him while we were in school. He was kind of a doofus, but he wasn’t completely intolerable.” 

“You’re too nice. Weasley is a total wanker, always has been, always will be,”  Sebastian scowled as he started aggressively writing, his quill nearly snapping from the pressure. 

“Ah, okay. Noted.” Ominis couldn’t help but smirk. He wondered if things would be different this time around. “Can we go eat now? I’m hungry and your room is full of… bad, Weasley hating energy.” 

“Yeah, one sec,” Sebastian finished writing in the planner and then got up. They walked down towards the Great Hall to get some food. Any type of good mood that Ominis brought on was instantly ruined when Sebastian saw Garreth. Sitting at the teachers table, eating lunch, talking to Rosie like a total prat. Sebastian mumbled something under his breath and Ominis cocked his head towards him. 

“Did you say something?” Ominis asked as they sat down at the Slytherin table, on the end closest to the teachers table. Sebastian dumped food onto his plate, eyes fixed on Garreth the whole time. 

“Uhm, okay, I can hear you taking your anger out on your food,” Ominis said as he took some for himself. Biting back a smile with a raised eyebrow in Sebastian’s direction. “It’s not a very fair fight, anyway.” 

“I can’t believe she’s actually talking to him,” Sebastian spat, finally turning his attention to his plate. 

“Who?” 

“Rosie. She’s talking to Weasley.” 

Ominis chuckled. “I didn’t think you were the type to expect your friends to also hate whoever you hate. You’re not that juvenile.” 

“That’s not it. It’s just— ugh.” Sebastian took his frustration out on a piece of chicken. “She’ll realize soon enough.” 

“I’m sure she will,” Ominis said, hiding his smirk behind some potatoes. 

Just then, Garreth looked towards Sebastian. The smile on his face slipped off, but then he saw Ominis. He stared for a minute, before he recognized him. Garreth got up and walked down to them. 

“Oh great… here comes the head of the twat committee,” Sebastian glared down at his plate.

“Huh?” Ominis said, then he heard Garreth approach. “Oh, I’m assuming you’re talking about Garreth? Is that you?” 

“Yeah, hi, Ominis! I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Garreth said as he sat down on the other side of Ominis. 

“Hello, yes. Sebastian and I meet for lunch every week, and alternate the location,” Ominis said as he turned part way to face toward Garreth. “This week it’s Hogwarts, and next week it’ll be the Ministry.” 

“Oh, do you work at the ministry?” Garreth asked. He ignored Sebastian, who was pushing his food around with his fork, mimicking Garreth.

“I do. I’m an unspeakable,” Ominis replied. Also ignoring Sebastian.

“That’s so cool! Do you like it?” Garreth asked, leaning in towards Ominis the slightest amount. 

“Yes, I—“ Ominis started, before he was cut off. 

“Okay, seriously? What’s your problem?” Sebastian suddenly chimed in. 

Garreth wore a mixture of annoyance and confusion on his face. “What? I’m not allowed to talk to Ominis?” 

“No.” Sebastian said defiantly, not noticing the frown from Ominis. “Don’t pretend like you actually care. You’re clearly just doing this to piss me off.” 

“Sebastian, really?” Ominis turned back towards Sebastian. “I don’t think this is about you. I’m allowed to be friends with him.” 

Sebastian shot a withering look at Ominis, then opened his mouth to reply. 

“It’s not about you, Sallow. Merlin, your best friend is blind and even he can see through your bullshit.” Garreth leaned over to the side of Ominis, so he could glare at Sebastian properly. 

Ominis knew where this was headed, so he shook his head and went back to his food. Tuning out the bickering, waiting for one of them to storm off. 

“You don’t get to talk about him like that.” Sebastian shot back, his fist gripping his fork. 

“Like what?” Garreth spat. “We’re almost thirty. I’m pretty sure Ominis is perfectly able to handle things on his own. He doesn’t need you to babysit him. If you can even call it that.” 

Sebastian tensed up. His chest heaved, glaring at Garreth like he wanted to burn holes into him. “Oh, sorry for sticking up for my friends.”

“Sticking up—against what?! All I did was ask him about his job.” Garreth stood up, eyes never leaving Sebastian. “You’re a moron.”